


Greatness Within

by 6YearsABrave



Category: Baseball RPF, Original Work, Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: 2014, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Fusion, Crossover, Gen, Star Wars Galaxy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 09:33:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11056209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/6YearsABrave/pseuds/6YearsABrave
Summary: The adventure of a lifetime is about to begin for four unsuspecting strangers from different times and places. What they discover will change each of them forever.





	Greatness Within

**Author's Note:**

> A crossover - courtesy of my imagination.

A cold wind blew on a dark night on the planet Coruscant.

Cars and ships still buzzed by Jedi Knight Dexter Holland’s small window at the Jedi Temple, though. It was very late. He turned over once. Was something troubling him?

_No_ , he told himself. _It was just any old night._

But was it?

Dexter closed his bright blue eyes and took a deep breath. He tried to feel, tried to sense what was going on in the Force, even if it was just a little flicker. But it seemed clouded to him at the moment.

_Allia_ , he thought. _What would she do?_

But his old partner was one with the Force now, and if the Force was clouded to him tonight, then so was she.

He tried not to get upset, just to relax. Whatever was going on, he’d be able to handle it. He knew because this is what Allia used to tell him. What she still told him.

Dexter took a few more deep breaths. He knew that was what really relaxed him. It wasn’t long before he started to drift off. He didn’t hear the cars and ships anymore. It was very dark…Dexter thought he saw stars.

 

The sound of a bottle slamming down onto the bar at Vivador’s saloon made Slim Pickens’ relaxed blue eyes open a little wider. His bright blond hair was tangled and somewhat matted. It had been a long day for Slim, who had been unable to steal much food, and he was feeling a little better now that he’d had two drinks.

The weather was starting to turn cooler again in southern California, and Slim knew it. His puny, stolen jacket would leave him shivering if he waited for the night to get too old. He stood up, ready to head for the door.

That was when another bottle not only hit the bar – it smashed into dozens of pieces.

A Mexican man yelled at someone a few seats away. They were between Slim and the door. He knew if he could get out before a brawl started, he’d be lucky.

But he wasn’t lucky tonight. Another man threw a punch, and in an instant, everyone was involved. Men shouted, kicked, punched, threw bottles, tackled others. Slim held his own, battling his way toward the door, until something – he thought it was a bottle, but he wasn’t sure – hit him on the head from behind. The rest of the brawl, he could never remember after that.

 

Mike Minor plopped his big, six-foot-four frame down onto his bed. He let out a sigh so big his husband, Brandon Beachy, heard it from the neighboring room.

He appeared at the door. His incredibly handsome face always made Mike smile, but he didn’t look up. “Hey,” he said sympathetically. “It’ll be alright.”

“I fucked it up.”

“They only scored three runs for you.”

“It should have been enough.”

Brandon just sighed. How could he respond to that? When would his husband learn to stop bullying himself every time he gave up a hit, much less a home run? Their baseball team, the Atlanta Braves, needed them both, and Brandon was having a much better time of it on the mound than Mike. 

But their approaches to the game were quite different.

Brandon, who was already ready for bed, came over and lay down next to Mike. “Hey,” he said softly, “there’s always next time.”

Mike looked over at Brandon, frustration in his hazel eyes. “I just don’t understand why I had to give up that last home run. It seemed like it would be the logical pitch. I thought I executed just fine. How did he catch up to it?”

Brandon rubbed Mike’s back. “Don’t kill yourself over it. It’s just one start.”

“But Brandon, this has been going on with me for a while now. You can see it.”

“What’s done is done, baby.” Then Brandon paused before answering, “How about I…make you forget the past a bit…and make you happy right now?” He moved closer and closer to Mike, the beginnings of a grin playing at the corners of his mouth, his hands reaching over to him.

Mike saw it and immediately gave in, desperate to forget his troubles. “Alright,” he said quietly. “What’s next?”

 

Three hours later, the two still lay next to each other, panting happily in unison. Mike sighed.

“It always makes me absolutely exhausted afterward when it’s this late.”

 

Lizzie tossed and turned in her bed, making tiny whimpering noises, and her partner was aware of it next to her. 

Andrecia, the mermaid who lived on land with Lizzie on the Goths’ home planet of Emotica, looked over at her with inquisitive and caring green eyes in the dark. This happened all the time; Lizzie was only having a nightmare. She had them far too often for Andrecia’s comfort, so the mermaid looked for a way to soothe her. She touched the little Goth’s arm tenderly.

Lizzie, very sensitive at the moment, opened her eyes in shock. She had no idea where she was. Her eyes darted around like little blue lasers. A half-second later she realized Andrecia’s hand was on her arm and therefore, everything was alright.

She sighed loudly. “Ugh. Again.”

“It’s alright.”

“I know,” Lizzie replied in frustration.

There was a pause. “What was it?”

“Something…something very dark.” Goths didn’t sweat, but if they could, Lizzie would have been drenched. “Coming for me.” She scooted closer to Andrecia. “I’m just so glad you’re here.”

Lizzie nestled her head against Andrecia’s shoulder and chest, relaxing again. They settled back onto the pillows. “Goodnight, my love. For real this time.”

Lizzie sighed, this time happily. “Goodnight.”

 

Dexter Holland opened his eyes to see stars above him. Before anything else, he admired their beauty.

But as he stared at them for a moment more, not remembering going outside, he realized the patterns were unfamiliar to him.

His puzzlement showed on his face as he sat up. His lightsaber was still at his side. But then he became even more puzzled.

He had been lying on cool, smooth, hard ground of red clay. He was in a desert – there seemed to be nothing out here except for him, the night sky, and three other people.

They lay on the ground, right near him, all their eyes closed, seeming to be asleep – a Human man, blond like him, another taller young Human man with sandy hair and tanned skin, and a little, fragile-looking Gothic woman. The blond Human’s skin was strikingly dirty, his hair was disheveled, and his simple, brown clothes looked incredibly shabby to Dexter. Then he noticed the other Human’s clothes, which were clean and neat and had strange, foreign markings on them.

Then he studied the little Goth, his eyes widening, not knowing why at first. She looked so peaceful Dexter didn’t make a sound, fearing to disturb her – or maybe it was something else.

Maybe it was that his own throat was tightening.

She was wearing less clothing than a Goth usually did – a simple, close-fitting black jumpsuit cut off at the elbows. Her hair was very short but combed neatly, and her face was undeniably as beautiful as a painting. 

Emotions racked Dexter like they never had before as he stared at her, her slender chest gently rising and falling. Was it anger? Jedi weren’t supposed to feel anger.

Then what was it? The opposite of anger?

It couldn’t have been love. Maybe it was a different kind of love, he then realized – caring.

But where would that have come from?

_No_ , Dexter thought. _I couldn’t possibly feel that way as a Jedi. I couldn’t possibly feel this way toward one of the creatures who_ –

There was a grunting sound as the other two Humans woke up. “Ugh,” the blonde said in an atrocious accent. “My head.”

The tall, sandy-haired man rubbed his arms and stretched his legs. He looked around with satisfied green eyes that immediately turned puzzled. “Where am I?”

Then they all turned their heads to look at the Goth, who suddenly stirred. She made a sighing noise before she opened her watery-blue eyes. She rubbed them before she sat up. “Andrecia?”

The three men stared at her. The girl stared back at them.

“…Hi.”

“Hello,” the sandy-haired man answered. “Who are you?”

“Wh-what are you?” The blonde asked.

The girl raised a thin, dark eyebrow. “I’m Lizzie,” she said, cautiously putting a graceful hand to the dirt, as if she were about to get up. “Never heard of a Goth before?”

The ordinary-looking Humans shook their heads in a friendly, willing-to-learn way, but the other one acted different, for some reason. He just continued to look at her, as if he didn’t know what to think. 

“And you are?”

“Mike,” the sandy-haired man answered first, getting to his knees and going to Lizzie with a big, warm hand outstretched. “Mike Minor.”

“And I’m Slim,” the other blonde partly interrupted as Lizzie shook Mike’s hand and smiled at him. “Slim Pickens.”

“And I am Dexter Holland, Jedi Knight,” Dexter introduced himself to all three in the voice of a leader. “…Master Holland.” He cleared his throat.

“A Jedi!” Lizzie said in awe. “I’ve never met a Jedi before.” Remembering her manners, Lizzie straightened and said, “Nice to meet you.” Her inquisitive eyes wandered to his lightsaber.

“What’s a Jedi?” Slim blurted.

“A Jedi is-”

“Hello, hello, hello, my dear amigos, my chosen ones!” Another man’s authoritative and satisfied voice suddenly boomed out of nowhere. All four of the strangers from different times and places jumped.

Turning to the source of the voice behind them they were greeted by a simple-looking Human man in a burgundy tuxedo with sandy-colored hair and a determined, confident, clean-shaven face. “My name is Mr. Handley. It’s a… _pleasure_ to meet you.”

The four of them just stood, facing Mr. Handley, staring at him.

“And _who_ are you?” Slim finally broke the silence.

“Ah, that does not matter here. For now, I have a message for you.” Mr. Handley joined his hands behind his back.

“For us?” Lizzie asked.

“We haven’t introduced ourselves properly, sir,” Dexter stated.

“Yeah, and how come you weren’t sleeping?” Slim put in. “…Or were you?”

“Where did you come from?” Mike asked, glancing around.

“Calm down, calm down,” Mr. Handley answered. “I am here to guide you all and to lead you in the right direction.”

“You know where we are?” Slim asked. “Is this a dream? Are you-”

“Shut up, shut up! No, this is not a dream. You are all here for a special reason…that is, because you are special.” The four of them continued to stare at the man, whose energy and patience seemed to be failing quickly.

“Am I _dead?_ ” gasped Slim.

Mr. Handley sighed. Then he looked up with blue eyes that seemed to see right through each of them, into their very souls. “Who are you,” he began quietly, “after all…who are you not to be special…who are you not to be great?” Dexter shifted his feet.

Mr. Handley walked to Slim, who met those piercing blue eyes with an inquisitive, unabashed look, folding his arms across his chest. “You, with the powers of an ancient king, who are you to be petty?” Mr. Handley’s strong voice rose as he spoke to Slim. “You, who are concerned as both judge and jury while hoarding infinite inner strength, wisdom, poise?”

He went to Mike and paused for a second before continuing, quieter, “Who are you to be a slave to the past?” Mike’s green eyes widened and yet took on a steely forbearance. Mr. Handley’s voice rose again. “You, who have traveled time and will rewrite history with a single thrust of your arm!” Mike paled at that last statement as Mr. Handley went to Lizzie.

“And who are you to be afraid?” He said gently down to her. “You have the imagination of a brilliant child and the creativity of a true artist - who are you to shrink from the miniscule?” Lizzie had taken a step backwards even as he said this.

“And you,” Mr. Handley said quietly, finally going to Dexter, “who are you to deny greatness?” Dexter’s eyes lowered. “You, whose name should be spoken in reverent tones, terrified whispers! Who are you to be anonymous?” His voice became loud again, and Lizzie could have sworn he had actually risen in stature a few inches taller.

He took a few steps back and faced them all at once, surveying them. “If you would deny it to yourselves, you would deny it to the entire universe.” He took a look at a strange watch on his wrist. “And we will not be denied.”

Each of the stunned group rose their eyes to look at the man who they now didn’t know exactly what to think of. It was as if he actually had looked into each of their souls.

“You will retrieve an invaluable gem, the Vor’Na’Tu, from the Empire’s fortress on Hanoon, a moon in the Bothan system.”

“But what-”

“I know you don’t need it – but good luck.”

Before any of them could say anything, their world went black. 

 

Dexter, Slim, Mike, and Lizzie all woke up simultaneously this time, lying on the ground as before. This time, they were in the middle of a dark forest with a dirt floor.

“Ugh,” Slim said. “What’s going on now?”

Dexter sat up. His lightsaber was still by his side. “The Vor’Na’Tu,” he mused aloud. “That ancient, precious Jedi artifact.”

Mike and Lizzie checked to see if the other was okay. Lizzie looked around to see nothing but darkness among endless trees. She shrunk back a little. “Where are we?”

“We must be in that Hanoon place,” Mike said in wonder. “How did we get here?”

“That other man must have done it,” Lizzie said, looking up to him. “Mr. Handley.”

“Who was he?” Slim asked Dexter, shivering. “Did you know him?”

“No,” Dexter replied. “I’ve never seen him or heard of him, but the Force was definitely extraordinarily strong with him.”

Slim made a face. “What do you mean, the Force?”

Dexter explained to him, and also Mike, what the Force was and how it affected them all. Then he went on, “I once had a partner…who is now one with it.”

“Wow,” Mike said. “I never could have imagined it.”

“How do you know?” The skeptical Slim asked.

Dexter paused before looking to Slim and saying, “Like I said, I’m part of it, you’re part of it, we’re all part of it.”

“But how can you see it?”

Dexter stood, faced Slim, and raised both his arms in the air, palms up. Effort creased his face as he closed his eyes. Much to his surprise, Slim was lifted into the air a few feet, some invisible strength holding him up under his arms. 

He yelled. “Put me down!” He screamed.

Slim was gently lowered to the forest floor on his feet as Dexter lowered his hands. 

Lizzie and Mike watched in awe. “Wow,” Lizzie said. “Master Holland, that’s incredible!”

“Yes,” he answered, his voice now tinged with a hint of quiet melancholy. “It is.” He didn’t look at her.

There was a pause. Then Dexter went on, “We’ve got to find the fortress where the Vor’Na’Tu is.”

Each of them looked around. There were trees as far as the eye could see, which wasn’t far, with a few short rock cliff faces scattered around. “Let’s go this way,” Dexter said, turning and pointing. Mike and Lizzie started moving together that way.

“I think we should go look where the biggest crag is,” Slim said.

“Master Pickens, a cliff is not a fortress,” Dexter said. “Besides, I’m not just randomly choosing this way. The Force is guiding me. I’m naturally drawn to the Vor’Na’Tu.” He started off   
with Mike and Lizzie, leaving Slim with no choice but to follow.

“But…but…”

“Slim, just follow us,” Mike said back to him.

Slim grudgingly caught up. “How are we all going to become great together if we don’t agree about this Force thing?”

“Forget about the greatness speech,” Dexter said. “If you ask me, the humbler you are, and the more people you help save, the greater you are.”

“That didn’t seem to be what Mr. Handley said,” Slim argued.

Dexter put a gloved hand to his forehead. “Help us all, Allia,” he whispered. “Help us all.”

“I heard that,” Slim cut in, jumping up to walk beside the Jedi, shoving Mike out of the way. “How can she help us anyway? She’s-”

In the blink of an eye Dexter stood stock still in front of Slim and held him three inches off the ground by his dirty shirtfront. “Listen, foreigner,” he said in a menacing whisper, hot breath in Slim’s petulant face, “don’t push it with me. I’ve seen – and done – things you can never imagine.”

He set Slim back down without another word, and with a blank expression, journeyed on. Slim glanced at Lizzie for help, but her attention seemed to be diverted. He folded his arms.  
Mike motioned to Slim instead. “What’s the problem, Slim?”

As Slim spoke with Mike, and their discussion became more and more heated, Lizzie heard less and less of what was said, even though she would have liked to have heard what was troubling the rogue. There seemed to be a reddish-orange glow among the darkness of the trees off in the distance. 

Obviously none of the men noticed, but Lizzie didn’t care. She suddenly found she couldn’t take her eyes, her focus off this strange light. It was entrancing, but Lizzie had no idea why. She slowly walked toward it, leaving the path the group was following.

Unaware she was now alone with the strange light, she drew closer and closer, nothing else in her mind. Soon it had filled her vision, swirling, twirling light everywhere, swallowing her up and also everything else…was this a dream within a dream?

When she thought the core of it was close enough, she reached out for it with a pale arm that now glowed like amber, grabbing at it. But as her slender, graceful fingers closed around it, it suddenly disappeared.

Lizzie’s vision went black. No forest; no fortress; no three companions. Nothing but a terrified, helpless little girl.

Lizzie put out her arms to steady herself in her panic and found a hard resistance in front of her. She scrabbled at it desperately for a moment before she was able to push it away – it was the ground.

She scrambled to her feet. She was still in the forest – but was it the same forest?

Her vision was still dark, but not as dark as a moment before. Her legs burned, and she found herself running as fast as she could as she heard sounds…creepy sounds, like hooting and scuffling among the big, dark trees. No matter how fast she ran she couldn’t seem to get away from them. A lump started rising in her throat as she looked up not to see a sky but the huge winding branches of endless trees like gnarled arms with spindly fingers reaching out to grab her. The lump in her throat finally cleared and she found she could scream. She didn’t know what to say; her main focus was finding the three men she’d come there with, mainly Mike.

Wrapping her hands around her head she looked down to the ground only to see a dark nothingness, like big, gaping holes ready for her to fall into. She heard the empty call of the cold wind she felt she was about to fall through down there. Trying to get away from it all, and still screaming for help, she squeezed her eyes shut, only to feel a sharp scraping against her arm and side.

Lizzie shrieked, believing a creature was trying to eat her with tiny sharp teeth, but when she opened her eyes she saw it was actually a bramble bush by a tree trunk. There were thin, dark lines of blood across her arm. They seemed to burn with an unusual intensity, and she screamed even louder, if that was possible, swatting the little wounds, pushing the brambles away as she kept running.

She pulled at her short hair in panic as her voice started becoming hoarse. She looked around frantically for her companions, for Andrecia, who now seemed like only a fond memory, but saw no one except what looked like dark forms in the trees, staring down at her with amused little glowing eyes. The hooting and whistling continued in her ears, louder and louder. She had nowhere to go. Nothing was familiar. The pain burned in both her arms now. She was helpless, and alone.

The ground suddenly became smoother, more slippery. Lizzie’s head started spinning, and she couldn’t hear herself scream anymore. Just as she thought to herself that this was the end –

She fell, and landed limply in someone’s strong arms.

 

Lizzie opened her eyes slowly. Everything was still. She felt so weak and tired – incredibly tired. Her vision cleared, and it was still dark, but not as dark as before.

“Lizzie?”

Lizzie raised her arms in panic at the man’s voice, scrabbling around frantically to get a grip on something. “It’s okay,” Mike said to her gently. “It’s alright. Mike’s gotcha.”

Lizzie’s eyes went wide, and she went still again. She was lying on her back, her head resting in Mike’s lap as he sat on the ground. He smiled down at her. “You had quite a scare there. Scared us, too.”

Lizzie grabbed his sweater and clung to it, burying her face in his big, warm chest.

“Don’t you think we oughta be going?” Slim Pickens said just then in an annoyed tone a few feet away.

“Look, the girl needs to rest,” Dexter Holland replied to him. “Just a few more minutes. Master Minor can’t carry her forever.”

“Why don’t you carry her, then?”

“Why don’t _you?_ ”

“Why haven’t you found this damn fortress yet, magic-man?”

“Why don’t you find it since you’re so eager to keep moving?”

“Stop asking so many goddamn questions!”

“Hey!” Lizzie’s weak voice interrupted them. “I’ll be fine – we can start moving in a minute.”

“Just for a little bit,” Mike said to her. “You need to rest.”

“I’ll be fine, Mike,” she replied. “Don’t worry about me.”

Mike only smiled and helped her to her feet.

 

Dexter kept his eyes on the path ahead, making a point of keeping his gaze off Slim. 

Slim, on the other hand, crossed his arms, becoming impatient with the Jedi. “When do you suppose we’ll find this place?”

“Shh,” Dexter said quietly.

“I’m talkin’ to you!” Slim shouted. Mike groaned and Lizzie sighed as they walked next to each other.

Dexter stopped abruptly, grabbing Slim’s arm and drawing him close. “You think we’re not trying?” He snarled.

“Use that stupid Force-thing you were talking about to get us there faster.”

“What do you know about the Force?”

“Stop grabbing me!” He tried to yank his arm from Dexter’s grasp.

“Uh, guys?” Mike said sheepishly.

Slim and Dexter continued to fight. Dexter’s voice remained low, but it was getting angrier by the second. “I’ll grab you as much as I like until I can shake some sense into you!”

“Master Holland?” Lizzie said quietly. She took Mike’s arm as they slowed their pace.

“What is _with_ you?” Slim cried, trying to jerk himself away from the Jedi.

“Mike!” Lizzie whispered desperately.

“Let go of me already!” Slim said.

“Let go of your pettiness!”

Lizzie jumped in fear. “Master Holland!” She shrieked, throwing herself at him as she stumbled away from Slim.

As Dexter and Slim regained their wits they both looked ahead to see Mike, cornered against two trees, by a huge, snarling, bear-like animal.

Dexter instinctively drew his lightsaber in front of him as Slim and Lizzie jumped back. He cautiously took a couple of steps closer.

Mike’s brow was drenched with sweat as his back was plastered against one of the massive tree trunks. He tried to keep his eyes open and be brave, but it was quite hard as the bear’s teeth dripped with saliva and its giant claws glistened. “Don’t worry, Master Minor,” Dexter said quietly.

Lizzie hid behind Dexter as the bear growled. It moved slowly, closer and closer, toward Mike as it sniffed the tall Human.

Lizzie cowered in fear. “Master Holland!” She squealed.

“Don’t worry,” he replied again. “I think I can just get it to-”

The bear roared, rearing its giant paws up above Mike’s head. He flinched.

“It’s going to – it’s going to-”

“I don’t have to kill it,” Dexter said to no one in particular, his voice still quite even-keel.

“What are you talking about?” Slim whispered as loudly as he could. “Of course you have to kill it!”

“It’s innocent life,” Dexter countered quietly. “It may be endangered.”

“It’s going to eat him!”

“There’s another way,” Dexter argued.

“Then what the hell is it?” Slim demanded angrily.

Dexter put his arms out in front of him, the glowing blue lightsaber hanging between the gloved fingers of his left hand. He made a sweeping movement, and the bear looked back at him, away from Mike.

But that only made it angrier, spewing saliva as it roared again, loud enough to rock the entire forest, and slammed its giant paws back onto the ground, inches from Mike’s feet.  
 _“Master Holland!”_ Lizzie rasped. She put her hands on her head and scrunched her eyes closed.

Dexter didn’t move. He only stood there, his arms extended, staring ahead, focusing. 

The creature started back moving closer to Mike, who stood there, still as death…

When Slim lunged forward, wrenched Dexter’s lightsaber from him, raised it above his head, and sliced the bear’s entire rear half clean off in one fell swoop. 

The lightsaber clattered to the ground, the glowing blade suddenly retracted and the forest floor splattered with the entrails of the giant creature.

Mike’s eyes were closed tightly as Lizzie opened hers in shock. She removed her hands from her head, then ran for Mike.

“How could you!” Dexter cried as he whirled on Slim.

“How could I _not!_ ” Slim countered as he pointed. “It was going to kill him!”

“I had it under control!”

“You had nothing under control!” Slim faced the Jedi up close for a moment, making a violent hand gesture to prove his point. “ _You_ may not take ‘innocent’ life, but _I’m_ not a Jedi.” 

Dexter retrieved his lightsaber from the ground, reattaching it to his belt. He sighed. Instead of focusing on Slim, he looked to Lizzie and Mike. She hugged him as he sat on the ground and tried to calm him. His face was still a little pale. They were both silent.

_At least there’s some harmony on this crazy ride,_ he thought.

 

The motley group gathered over a tiny fire where they all feasted on roast bear. Slim had arranged the fire and while Mike and Lizzie helped with the cooking and serving, Dexter sat off a distance away from them to meditate.

He bowed his head. _Allia_ , he said in his mind, _What’s going on?_

He suddenly didn’t hear the voices of the others making the food several feet away; he only heard the sounds of the foreign forest as the peacefulness of it became clearer to him.  
Dexter opened his eyes to see trees – trees upon trees, as far as the eye could see.

_Dexter._

Dexter squeezed his eyes shut and focused on her. He laid his fingers on his head gently. _Allia?_

_Do not worry, dear,_ she said in a gentle, kind whisper. _Have confidence, and more importantly, have patience._

_What the rogue did was wrong._

_But his heart is in the right place. His shortcomings are minor, just like yours._

Dexter thought about it a moment. _I couldn’t have killed that creature._

_And no Jedi should have,_ she replied. _That’s why Jedi are not, by definition, heroes._

Dexter smirked. _But I feel like I have to be a hero to these three._

_You don’t, Dexter,_ she said simply. _Be the humble, cheerful soul you were to me._

_They need a guide, someone who really knows this galaxy like I do._

_Be their guide,_ Allia said. _But most of all, be patient. I know you’ll do what’s right._

Dexter opened his eyes. He was back on Hanoon. He looked behind him – there were Slim, Lizzie, and Mike, enjoying their meal and wondering what was holding him up.  
Dexter let out a little puff of air before he joined them.

 

They moved on, their stomachs full and their spirits lifted somewhat. Mike suggested they stop to rest, for Lizzie’s sake.

“We don’t have to,” Lizzie put in.

“Tired or not, I do believe we could all use a bit of sleep,” Dexter said.

“Eh,” Slim agreed. “On this, I won’t argue with you.”

They settled on a secluded spot among some trees where the forest floor wasn’t so dirty. Mike turned toward Lizzie, who lay peacefully near him.

 

“Where are we?” Brandon Beachy asked.

Mike Minor slowed as they walked side by side. He looked around. “I don’t know,” he said uncertainly. “I still really don’t know.” They were in some big, dark forest.

“How long have you been here?”

Mike looked at Brandon, his eyes dilating. “Seems like forever.” He paused, letting out a huff of air. “I’m so…relieved you’re here.”

Something flashed behind Brandon then – something big, fierce, breathing heavily and growling.

Mike jumped back. “Mike? You okay?” Brandon asked innocently.

Mike was speechless. He flailed his hands around behind him, as if he were looking for something to lean on. “I – I…”

“Mike.” Brandon came a little closer. “What’s going on, Mike?”

Mike looked at Brandon. Then he reached out and caught him up in a big bear hug.

_Bear…_

It growled again.

Suddenly Brandon vanished from his arms – and it was raining. Mike whipped his head around in shock. Nothing but forest.

He had no other choice but to find his husband.

He walked somewhat slowly at first, cautiously optimistic, seeing no one, hearing nothing but the patter of rain on leaves. He must have walked for a quarter mile before his pace quickened, his heart beating ever faster as panic gripped him. He finally broke into a run.

He was afraid to call out Brandon’s name, fearing the creature may find him and tear him to pieces, like it was going –

Mike forced the thought out of his head and focused on Brandon.

_What about Lizzie?_

_A tiny, black and white, alien woman? How can someone like that even exist? I must have made her up._

But as Mike kept running the Goth wouldn’t leave his mind. He wondered why as he opened his eyes and looked down.

His hands were white as snow, and his clothes glistened shiny black.

He stopped, clutching his hair. _How did I get here?_

The world started to spin. Mike started running again as water pelted his face. He didn’t care. All that mattered was finding Brandon.

The trees became bigger and bigger as he ran. Their big, gnarly branches above his head…their gropy fingers…no, their spindly, grabby fingers…

Mike was suddenly aware of his voice – he was screaming, horribly, like a condemned demon straight from hell. He’d never heard that sound before. Falling to the ground, he landed right in the middle of a puddle. He didn’t care that he was soaked. He hardly knew.

The world spun in descending darkness for a moment more. Then Mike sat up, in the middle of the murky water, and was more aware of himself. He stopped shrieking. He was out of breath.

Mike Minor, Human baseball pitcher, his skin tan and his sweatshirt navy blue.

He stood up quickly, realizing his discomfort, and rubbed his arms. Where was Brandon?

He looked around. It was still the dark forest, but now, it didn’t seem as threatening as the thought of losing his husband.

He didn’t care. “Brandon!” he cried as loud as he could, his voice still wavering a little. “Brandon!”

“…Mike!”

“I’m coming!”

_Grrrrrrrowl._

It was after them both, but Mike still didn’t care. He ran. He ran and ran and ran until he came to a cliff of rock.

He started upward. “Brandon?”

_“Help me!”_

Mike looked up ahead. There was his husband, a small, dark figure clinging for his life to the solid rock. Mike scratched and gouged his way up as fast as he could without losing his balance. The rain got in his eyes.

_“Mike!”_

_Grrrrrrrowl._

_“Mike!”_

He approached his husband. They were a few feet from the top of the cliff. The bear was nowhere to be seen, but he still heard it as if it were right behind him. 

Finally Mike got a foothold on the top of the cliff and pulled himself up. Before he did anything he scrambled down, making a big splash, and took Brandon’s soaked hand. The bear growled one more time before Mike pulled Brandon up to the top.

Mike’s relief couldn’t be expressed any other way than to plant his lips against Brandon’s and clutch him as close as he possibly could.

Right after he did, lightning flashed, searing Mike with its heat and blinding him with its incredible light.

 

_Grrrrrowl._ It was very faint, hardly audible, and not very threatening at all now.

Mike had hardly heard it. He groaned, still feeling quite warm from the lightning strike, or what he thought was a lightning strike, and at the same time, cold.

He opened his eyes, slowly waking up from a very deep sleep. Blinking, he realized it was raining on Hanoon.

Mike sat up slowly. There were Dexter, Slim, and Lizzie – all sleeping soundly near him. 

He crawled to Lizzie’s small, dark form, lying still on her side. Glancing at the other two men first, he lay down as close to her as he dared. Ever so gently, he lay a hand on her side as he rested his head behind hers. He took a deep breath. It was amazing how calm he felt now. How at ease with everything…

 

When they woke up, it wasn’t raining anymore, but everything was wet and dripping. It was still as dark as it had been.

“We’ve got to keep moving,” Dexter told the group.

Slim didn’t argue with him, and just trudged off after Dexter. Lizzie held out a hand to Mike as he sat up.

Looking up at her, he took it, and thought it didn’t really support his weight getting up, it was still a very welcomed feeling. Mike smiled and said, “Thanks,” and Lizzie smiled back knowingly.

 

After another long walk, mostly spent in silence, the group came to some kind of clearing. From the cover of the trees, Dexter led the way and went up to the treeline first. “It’s a courtyard,” he whispered to the others, motioning for them to stay back behind him. They could all see that on the other side of the large space from them was a very low outcropping that looked like an incredibly short building. It had a short door with a panel next to it.

“What are we waiting for?” Slim asked. “This must be the place!” He pushed past Dexter, and just as he stepped onto the hard floor of the courtyard, he was electrocuted from the ground up by a sizzling blue lightning that they could all see.

Mike covered his mouth with his hand and Lizzie gasped in fear as Slim stood there, frying in pain, for a few seconds before falling to his knees and eventually collapsing to the ground, unconscious. The electricity stopped when he did.

Dexter growled to himself and quickly dragged Slim’s limp body by his foot back into the cover of the trees.

He caught his breath. Slim lay unconscious between them. “Good thing it appears no one saw that,” he whispered to Mike and Lizzie. “This is how many fortresses are protected.” The other two stared at him in shock.

Dexter looked back out at the courtyard, specifically the little door with the panel next to it. “That must be how to turn the electricity off,” he explained to them, pointing.

Just then two gray guard droids came bumbling around the corner of the building without warning. Dexter made a signal to be quiet, and they moved back behind a bush to hide themselves better as the droids passed. Slim was as still as if he were peacefully asleep.

As they waited on the droids to leave Lizzie observed her surroundings. Right above her were the branches of a fruit tree. She quickly and quietly stood up and picked a round, hard, reddish-orange fruit from the lowest branch. Picking off the leaves and stem, she handed it to Mike.

He was confused at first, but after a look across the courtyard at the door panel, he whispered, “Oh.”

The droids disappeared without sensing them. Dexter saw the piece of fruit and whispered, “Terrific idea, Master Minor. It probably is too far for me to just use the Force anyway.”  
“It was Lizzie’s idea,” Mike said humbly, but Dexter wasn’t listening.

The distance across the courtyard to the door was probably around 70 or 75 feet, a good bit farther than Mike was accustomed to throwing to batters off a pitching mound. 

They all looked to the unconscious Slim as he lay there. “He’s going to wake up, right?” Lizzie asked.

Dexter looked to her, humbly. “Why don’t you try to wake him?”

Lizzie gently shook Slim’s shoulder. “Hey,” she whispered, “wake up!” His skin didn’t appear scarred or burned, which was a relief.

“How will we continue without him?” Mike asked Dexter.

Before Dexter could answer Slim started to stir a little. Lizzie continued shaking him until his eyes flickered open and he made a quiet sound.

“Are you alright?” She asked him.

“Ugh…yeah.” He slowly sat up.

“Can you run?” Mike asked.

Slim shook his head, as if to shake off water or something, and then held it in his hands. “It feels kind of weird.”

“Come on, Slim,” Lizzie said, taking his arm and trying to help him up. He painstakingly stood next to her, looking to the other two men. “Now what?”

“Now…this,” Mike said, standing up, tossing the piece of fruit from hand to hand. He stared at the control panel across the courtyard. It seemed so far away.

Mike hung his head and sighed.

“Mike,” Lizzie said, dismayed, “You’ve got to do it!”

“I know,” he replied quietly. “I know…” He took one look at her pale face and bright blue eyes, and he thought to himself that he might indeed still be dreaming. If she was possible, and she was standing right next to him, then maybe this pitch was possible too.

Mike faced the panel and took another deep breath. He focused on his target like he had uncounted times before on the field. But this time, it was incredibly different – it was dark, and he might only have one chance.

Lizzie stepped back and Dexter and Slim watched in awe as Mike gripped the fruit best he could, turned sideways, leaned back a little, and hurled it straight across the courtyard at upwards of ninety miles per hour.

As soon as the panel was hit there was a little flash of glowing light around the edges of the courtyard that dimmed almost instantly. At that moment, the four of them took off running full speed across the courtyard at Dexter’s command. When they reached the door, Dexter pulled it open with authority, letting the others run inside before him. Lizzie shot him a pitying glance as she brought up the rear, and Dexter felt a pang deep inside him somewhere. 

Just as he was about to step in and pull the door shut behind him, however, he was unexpectedly zapped as the electricity was turned back on at the last second. He flailed there for a moment, blue light pulsing and flashing, before collapsing in the doorway, his last sight that of Lizzie’s simple black shoes.

 

Dexter shook his head. His vision went white, with growing black splotches starting to appear. The pain from the electricity gradually faded, but a tension started up in his belly. 

When the blackness materialized Dexter saw he was looking into someone’s face…a man’s face.

He recoiled. It was a face he had not seen in years.

The man smiled – eerily. His mouth was a bland gray color – he was a Goth.

Dexter looked down. He suddenly realized that he held his lightsaber. Their surroundings went from bright white to darkness suddenly, and they stood in a doorway. 

Dexter’s lightsaber was suddenly lit and the blue blade cast a glow over the Goth’s face. A pang of fear hit Dexter – the lightsaber was hovering right over the man’s neck. Dexter felt a burning sensation all over. 

He was about to kill the man.

Or was he?

Realizing he could stop himself and that he was somehow back in the past now, he shook his head. The world had started to seem a little watery, a little unreal. But then it became even more unreal when the man suddenly disappeared, and kneeling there before his raised lightsaber instead was Lizzie.

She looked up at him with helpless, sad, scared eyes. Dexter pulled his arm back but for some reason the lightsaber became very heavy in his hand. It started to descend slowly, ever closer toward Lizzie’s bare, lily-white neck.

Dexter shook his head. “No,” he tried to say, but nothing came out. _“No!”_

He squeezed his eyes shut, desperate not to see his own horrible deed. He pulled back on the lightsaber more, but then it suddenly became very light and he wrenched it back. It had been struck by another blue lightsaber.

_Dexter!_

Lizzie had disappeared, and in her place, holding the other lightsaber against his, was Allia Offee. She looked just as he’d remembered her, as vivid an image to his eyes as if he’d just seen her that morning.

“A – Allia?”

_Dexter, stop!_

He shook his head, retracting his lightsaber. Now he was back in control. “What’s going on?”

_Dexter, stop torturing yourself,_ she said, putting away her own lightsaber.

Dexter sputtered incoherently. His hand shook.

_How can you forgive others if you can’t even forgive yourself?_

“I…I’m sorry!”

_Don’t apologize to me,_ Allia said. Her face took on a more peaceful expression. _Dexter._

He forced himself to look at her. Surprisingly, it calmed him. “Help me. Help me get away from…this.”

_What you need to get away from is your shame. You must look deep inside and come to terms with it. I release you._ She closed her eyes, holding up a palm toward him.

Dexter felt an uneasiness, but he supposed there was no way this could have ever been easy. He tried not to feel worried and ashamed as he slowly raised his hand to Allia’s.

He touched it.

 

Lizzie whimpered but kept her bearings enough to quickly pull Dexter by his warm arm inside the fortress once he’d fallen. They were in a bright white receiving hallway.

She painstakingly pulled the Jedi Knight down the short half-flight of stairs with help from Mike and Slim, then they shut the door. Each of them scurried to shake him and try to wake him, and this time, they were much less panicked because they knew how it would work out.

A few minutes passed and Dexter eventually stirred – just in time, because droids came down the intersection of the hallway with the other at the end of it. Slim, Mike, and Lizzie jumped back against the walls in fear as Dexter, a new fierceness on his face that the others could see, confidently raised his lightsaber just in time to stop a blaster bolt directed right at them. 

There were four droids, and they all shot at Dexter at once, but they were no match for the Jedi as they were untrained to defend against Force-users. Dexter only had to stand and take a few steps forward before the last of them was finished off, their deflected bolts helping him greatly.

The droids lay in scrap metal piles on the floor as the group stared, stunned silent. Dexter returned his lightsaber to his belt. His face couldn’t have been any more solemn. He glanced around the hallway.

“What now?” Slim asked.

Dexter paused for half a moment before replying, with more vigor than they’d ever heard him speak, “What does it seem, Master Pickens? We take this place and find the Vor’Na’Tu.”

 

They set out down the white hallways in search of something valuable. The place was basically featureless with few doors and a gray strip down the length of the smooth floors.

They went down a flight of stairs and approached a large, silvery door. “I’ll go first,” Dexter said quietly, taking his lightsaber hilt from his belt. Lizzie stood back from the door, and Mike joined her. Dexter lit the saber and hit the open panel.

He entered an all-white room matching the hallway. It was empty except for a mat on the floor, a bright blue, glowing column toward the back, and a person covered from head to toe in blue robes.

The Soothsayer’s hands and face were hidden from Dexter as well. It stood in front of the glowing column which was being supplied with electricity from a brilliantly-flashing floating blue stone.

Dexter took it all in in about two seconds, then went for the Soothsayer. It was unprepared, but it still put up quite a fight. It produced a silvery-gray blade out of nowhere and lashed out, stumbling, at Dexter. Once it caught its footing, though, it moved faster and more agilely than Dexter, who chased it around the room for several minutes.

When Dexter came back around the room and passed by the door he swiped it closed, leaving the other three safely cut off from them in the hallway.

Lizzie wrung her hands. “We’ve got to do something! What if that thing gets him?”

“It won’t,” Slim said in a determined tone, and took off running up the hallway in another random direction.

“Slim!” Lizzie cried after him. It was no use.

Mike looked up the hallway where Slim had disappeared. “Stay here,” he told Lizzie urgently, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You hear? Wait for Master Holland. I’ll be back.” 

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll be back, Lizzie,” Mike called over his shoulder as he went off after Slim. “Just hold on!”

 

Mike ran for about two or three solid minutes before he caught sight of another door just like the first they encountered. Sprinting the last of the distance, he found he had caught up with Slim in another room just like the one Dexter had gone into – complete with Soothsayer, mysterious blue stone, and glowing column of electricity.

The Soothsayer lunged for them both. Mike and Slim split in opposite directions to the sides, causing it to stumble around for a second before swiping the door closed to trap them. Slim happened to stumble to the floor when he avoided the Soothsayer, and it took advantage by coming up behind him and catching up his neck in a chokehold.

Mike, thinking fast, came up behind it and struck it in the head. Slim was immediately freed, but the Soothsayer came back with a vengeance. Producing its blade, it mocked them both by making poking motions at their chests. It was particularly irked at Mike for disrupting its chokehold on Slim, and pursued him with a great deal of fury. Being unarmed, all Mike could do was dodge and retreat around the room.

Eventually the Soothsayer backed Mike right up against the electric blue column at the back of the room, still pointing its blade at him. While he himself was totally unsuspecting, the pulsing force from the blue stone floating there electrocuted Mike like a lightning strike.

He couldn’t move, see, hear, or speak. The pain racked his whole body as he hung there, helpless. It seemed like it would never end. The Soothsayer was holding him in the constant stream of electricity.

Mike couldn’t hear its ugly laughter, but Slim could from behind him. He studied the structure that was zapping Mike senseless, and the blue stone that floated in the middle of it. Figuring it out, he could only stare. His palms started to sweat. Now would be the moment that something moved inside Slim’s heart, that something truly changed.

He ran forward and quickly plunged his hand into it, grabbing the blue stone by sheer force of will.

He yanked it loose with all the strength in his body left as the electricity racked him. He didn’t feel it at first, but blood dripped from a wound on his palm where he’d gripped the stone. He flailed, trying to see the fruits of his labor through the bright blue haze. 

When the stone was dislodged the electricity fizzled out, and Mike immediately crumpled to the floor. The Soothsayer, at the same time, was shocked. It just stood there, staring straight ahead at the dormant column in front of him and Mike’s still form at its feet.

Slim writhed in pain, collapsing, but had enough sense to bring the enemy down with him. He reached out, clutching the stone tightly though it cut him, and hit the Soothsayer with it, stabbing it. It collapsed to the floor at the same time Slim did.

 

Lizzie couldn’t stop wringing her hands. Dexter hadn’t emerged from the Soothsayer’s room yet, and there was still no sign of Mike or Slim. It had probably been at least ten minutes.  
She looked up the hallway nervously, trying to see around the corner. She thought he heard mechanical footsteps. Her heartbeat quickened.

Her fears were confirmed when a cluster of droids came around the corner not ten seconds later.

Her eyes widened and she took off as fast as she could in the opposite direction. It wasn’t fast enough, though – the quickest of the droids finally caught her after several hurried minutes.

Lizzie dove to the floor at the last second, out of breath, trying to avoid their merciless, metal grips. With difficulty they grasped her writhing arms, pulling her along. She screamed for them to let go of her, crying out to Mike the whole time, struggling endlessly. After what seemed like an eternal walk to nowhere they ended up at an empty dungeon-like room closed off by bars. One of the droids opened them briefly and Lizzie was flung inside to the bare floor. After relocking the cell bars, the droids went off like it was just another workday.  
“Hey!” Lizzie screamed after them, stumbling to her knees and clutching the cell bars. “Where’s Mike? Tell me where Mike is!” She tried to shake the bars, to no avail. Lizzie hung her head, in a world more colorless than Emotica.

 

Dexter’s eyelids fluttered, then opened slowly. He was lying on his side on a bare white floor. Sitting up, he saw a crystal-like blue stone in his hand. The Soothsayer he’d been battling lay off to the side, motionless. 

Dexter shook his head, trying to shake off the sore, aftershock-like feeling. Going out to the hallway and looking around, a pang of urgency hit him when he saw no one. He paused, closing his eyes, and concentrated for a minute.

He then ran off up the corridor as fast as he could. He held the hilt of his lightsaber in his hand, just in case. Finally he came to a door and opened it. 

He saw all three of them at once – another Soothsayer, Mike, and Slim. They all lay still and unconscious on the floor, and another blue stone lay in Slim’s bleeding palm.

Dexter immediately went to Slim, dropping to his knees. As gently as he could, he carefully took the stone from him.

“Ah!” He exclaimed. Slim’s stone was sharp, and it grazed Dexter’s skin through his glove. Once he held both his own and Slim’s stones in each hand, he put them closer together, sucking in his breath. The stones – _shards_ – fit together perfectly, he realized, like they’d been previously sheared apart. Even pressed together, the two of them still didn’t look quite complete.

_There’s one for each of us,_ Dexter thought.

At that moment Mike stirred. Dexter went to him, carefully pocketing the two shards of the Vor’Na’Tu. He helped Mike sit up as he rubbed his head.

A moment later Slim woke. Looking at each other, not a word was spoken until Mike blurted, “Where’s Lizzie?”

Dexter shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Mike exclaimed. His voice rose. “You didn’t see her?”

“No, Master Minor.”

“She was right where you were!” Mike scrambled to his feet, running to the door, his eyes darting every direction. Dexter and Slim followed him, their faces turned melancholy.   
“Lizzie!” Mike screamed down the hallway. “Lizzie!”

“Should we split up?” Slim asked.

“No,” Dexter replied. “She-”

_“Lizzie!”_ Mike cried over and over, his voice becoming more desperate. Before either Dexter or Slim could stop him, the frantic baseball player had taken off as fast as he could in another direction.

Slim made a frustrated motion after taking a few futile steps after him. He was still sore from the electric shock he’d received earlier. Surely Mike is too, he thought. “Great,” he muttered to himself. “Just great.”

“We should not have split up,” Dexter insisted again, shaking his head.

“I’m not the one who took off!” Slim said defiantly, flipping his wrist, whirling around to face the Jedi.

“I never said as much,” Dexter replied. “We should move after him.”

“How do you know he went toward Lizzie?”

“Just go,” Dexter said, annoyed at Slim.

“Oh, is this part of that Force thing again? I knew it.”

Dexter had had enough. He went to Slim and forcefully took the collar of his shirt, nearly lifting him from the floor. Slim sucked in his breath as he stared into Dexter’s intense eyes, which were fixed almost menacingly on him.

Slim took Dexter’s wrists gently, knowing the Jedi wouldn’t harm him. “Well?”

Dexter released him with a sigh. “If we keep bickering like this…nothing good’s going to happen.”

Slim didn’t take his eyes off him. After a pause, Slim agreed, “You’re actually right.”

“The longer we wait, the more trouble they’ll be getting into,” Dexter said, motioning for Slim to follow him back up the hallway, which he did.

 

Mike Minor ran until he could hear his heart pounding in his ears over his ragged breathing. Endless halls of pure white awaited him, and no Lizzie.

Dexter and Slim were long behind him, but he didn’t care. Doors were few and far between. Mike couldn’t even remember the last one he passed. He felt trapped inside.

Outside, he felt a cold touch on his arm. Whirling around, he faced a guard droid…make that five guard droids. He tried to pull his arm out of its grip but in his haste he stumbled backwards, giving them all an opportunity to gang up on him. Mike fought for both Lizzie’s and his own life, struggling with the best of them, flailing to the end, but the droids finally restrained him with silver rope-like appendages. Dragging him down the corridor further for what seemed like hours Mike eventually hung his head. 

They brought him to a cell…which wasn’t actually so lonely, like he expected.

_“Mike!”_

His head snapped up. The droids were opening the bars. “Lizzie!”

He was tossed in. Lizzie helped him get his bearings. Then they hugged quite tightly.

“What happened to Master Holland, and Slim?” She asked.

Mike shook his head. “I left them after we found the second blue stone. I had to find you.”

“ _Second_ blue stone?” Lizzie asked, confused.

“Yes,” he replied. “Master Holland got the first one, I think, and then Slim and I got the second one…maybe.” He rubbed his head. “There were two that I saw, anyway. It was quite an adventure.”

“Oh, Mike, I’m glad you’re okay,” Lizzie said. She sat closer to him.

“Me too.”

 

Dexter and Slim ran for what seemed like forever. Just as Slim was about to tell Dexter he was out of breath, the Jedi stopped and listened.

“Wh-what is it?”

“Shh!” Dexter said quietly. Slim looked around. He didn’t see anything.

Dexter turned, looking back the way they’d come. He just stood there, silently staring.

“There’s nobody, Master Holland, let’s keep moving.”

Dexter slowly moved a hand to his lightsaber hilt. Slim took a step back from him. 

Not five seconds later a cluster of droids came around the corner toward them. Slim jumped back in surprise and started to move away, but Dexter, in a flash, lit his lightsaber and went for them. He sliced the first two in half at the midsection and then beheaded the following two. A few more made their way around Dexter, surrounding him, but the Jedi was too quick. He made clean cuts through them all and left them lying on the floor in shorted-out pieces.

Slim looked at Dexter, to the broken droids, and then back to the Jedi. “Thanks,” was all he could think to say.

“We’ve got to keep moving,” Dexter said evenly. He returned his lightsaber to his belt. Then he closed his eyes and stood still.

“Uhh…” Slim said. “Shall we?”

Dexter only stood there, silent. He scrunched his eyes closed tighter.

“Ugh,” Slim groaned again, but then a second later Dexter opened his eyes. “This way,” he said, and took off. Slim followed, without complaining this time.

 

They came to a small prison cell. Dexter’s heart almost turned a flip in his chest when he saw the two huddled figures inside, clinging to one another.

“Master Holland!” Lizzie cried when she looked up.

“Just a second,” Dexter replied, going over to the lock on the bars. He went down on one knee to see eye to eye with it, then raised a hand and closed his eyes. Slowly moving his fingers, the lock unlatched itself a moment later. Dexter pushed the bars back.

“Unlock any door at will? What other benefits of this ‘Force’ are you not telling us about?” Slim asked, finally impressed.

Dexter gave Slim a sly, sideways look as he stood. “It’d take years for you to learn. And even then, you wouldn’t be able to do what I can do.”

“Show off.”

“If you two are finished,” Mike said, “where do we go now?”

“Well,” Dexter started, “it turns out there are actually four shards of the Vor’Na’Tu. It was broken…at some point. There’s one shard for each of us to collect. I’ve already collected mine, and so has Master Pickens.” He retrieved the two shards from his pocket and held them out for them to see. Dexter’s meaning was clear enough for Mike and Lizzie. “Let’s head out and get the last two. This night has worn on too long already.”

 

Dexter now knew his way around, and the other three followed, trusting him completely. They didn’t encounter anything on their way, to the next Soothsaying room. “Stand back,” Dexter warned them as he barged in and fought the next Soothsayer. The others silently waited outside. It wasn’t long at all before Dexter emerged, victorious.

Slim, Mike, and Lizzie all looked to him. The Jedi’s face was solemn.

“It’s time,” he said in a low voice.

“I’ll do it,” Mike said. He stepped forward. Lizzie was visibly disturbed by the development, but she knew it had to happen.

They all followed Mike into the room, the defeated Soothsayer lying unconscious in a corner. The column of electricity sizzled quietly before them, as if it were beckoning Mike to it like a shining tower. Its light caught in Mike’s eyes, which glowed as he came nearer.

Dexter, Slim, and Lizzie converged together and watched as Mike paused. He slowly lifted his right hand, level with the floating, electric blue shard, and squinted his eyes. Mike took one more shaky deep breath, then grit his teeth together and quickly plunged his hand in.

The three onlookers shuddered as they all closed their eyes and clung to one another. None of them saw Mike’s pain, they only heard it. It was almost too much to bear.

Mike only kept his thoughts on his husband back home and the Gothic girl he found he truly cared for. They made it a little bit better, as he was dimly aware of holding a hot object and losing feeling in his legs.

When the sounds of the electrocution finally stopped, Lizzie, Dexter, and Slim heard a thump as Mike’s six foot, four inch frame fell to the floor. Lizzie whimpered, her hands shaking, as she opened her eyes and at the same time rushed to Mike’s side. She took him around the chest and pulled him close, bowing her head over him.

They knew there was nothing to do but wait for Mike. Dexter carefully retrieved the shard from his limp hand. It wasn’t sharp.

A few agonizing minutes passed before Mike finally stirred, Lizzie still watching over him carefully. She waited patiently for him to regain his senses, then gently helped him up. They leaned on each other quite a bit, and both Dexter and Slim could see that. As Mike stood slowly and got his balance back Slim said under his breath to Dexter, “Sorry we, um…couldn’t get along…earlier.”

Dexter raised his eyes just to Slim’s level. He sighed. “It’s okay,” he said just as quietly. “We’re pretty different people.”

“I wish…I wish I could actually use the Force. It’s pretty cool.”

At that Dexter’s throat tightened a little and before he could say anything, Mike asked, “You ready, Lizzie?” They appeared prepared to go now. 

“I think so,” she replied.

They headed out toward the last Soothsaying room, Dexter leading the way. Just as they were about to turn a corner, Dexter stopped them.

“Get back, get back!” He warned in an urgent whisper. Slim, Mike, and Lizzie took cover back behind him. Dexter drew his lightsaber.

A few moments later they heard Dexter slice through several guard droids. When they were all subdued he called back to them, “Come on!” 

They all followed him without delay to the last room. Lizzie turned her back to Mike for a second, her head bowed in her hands.

“Lizzie, come on!” Mike tried to reassure her. “You can do it!” She didn’t reply as Dexter charged the room, leaving the other three safe outside. “It is going to hurt,” Mike went on. “But you’ve been through worse – trust me, I know.” Lizzie only made a quiet sigh. Mike went down on his knee so he could directly face her. “I know because I was with you out there in the woods.”

Finally Lizzie looked up at him, understanding in her bright eyes. “You were?”

“Yes,” he said. “I…” Mike suddenly didn’t know what to say. He kept his gaze on Lizzie. “We’re both incredible creatures, and our lives have come together in a remarkable way. Let’s do this, and I’m sure something good will come of it. There’s got to be a reason for all this…this…”

“Mess,” Lizzie said with a sarcastic chuckle. 

“Not mess,” Mike said. “Adventure.”

Dexter emerged from the room. “Last time,” he said, replacing his lightsaber at his belt. 

Lizzie went forward past Dexter into the room. Mike went after her followed by Slim and Dexter, who stood at a safe distance. The Goth stood still, facing the glowing blue column. The color of it, combined with the blue of her eyes, was nothing short of striking.

Mike didn’t know whether or not to say something else to Lizzie, but she didn’t give him a chance to. She wrinkled her eyebrows, tried to think of her loved ones, and in one smooth yet hurried motion jumped forward and grabbed the stone. The pain almost knocked the wind out of her and she felt like her mind was racing at a million miles per hour as she was quickly less and less aware of where she actually was. She didn’t feel her legs anymore, and she passed out before she even fell.

But she didn’t hit the floor, because Mike was there with his arms stretched out to catch her.

He gently cradled her there as Slim and Dexter came up behind to watch. “For a smaller person, the shock is probably greater,” Dexter remarked quietly. “Let me see if I can alleviate some of the negative effects.” He got down to his knees in front of Mike and raised both his hands up, steadily, over Lizzie’s now-peaceful face.

Mike was also silent as he knelt there, holding Lizzie, gently rubbing her shoulder, his head bowed. After a few minutes passed, Lizzie stirred.

The three men were silent around her as the Goth woke up. She shook her head and opened her tired blue eyes, the first thing she saw being Mike’s face. She made a tiny smile and groaning sound, then reached to grip Mike so she could get up.

The four of them stood there then, all facing each other, in the last of the Soothsaying rooms in a fortress on some dark, wild moon. Dexter retrieved the other blue shards from his pocket. Holding them out on his flat palm, Slim and Mike carefully took theirs. Now they all held in their hands what they’d come there for.

“Okay,” Slim said, “here it is!”

“Now what?” Mike asked.

Dexter paused, curling his fingers slowly around his shard, before saying, “Thank you.”

The other three looked to him, confused. Dexter went on, “Thank you all for giving me a new insight into the Force, for helping to show me more of what it can do. I can’t believe I’m holding this. It’s legend.”

Slim, Mike, and Lizzie heard the solemnity and the sincerity in the Jedi’s voice, and respected it, each bowing their heads to him. “Thank you,” Mike said, “for being a proper guide for us.”

“Thank you, Master Holland,” Lizzie added, and Dexter’s face flushed a little.

“This is the craziest adventure I’ve ever hallucinated,” Slim said, a smile hinting at the sides of his mouth. “But even I couldn’t make this stuff up, so I’m going to have to treat it like it really is real.”

“Oh, it’s real, Master Pickens,” Dexter reassured him. “I could never simply imagine anyone like you.”

At that, Slim broke into an ear-to-ear grin, and the Jedi actually smiled warmly back, making him seem more handsome, more human, than they had all seen previously.

“Now,” Dexter said, holding out his shard, “let’s put this together.”

Each of them slowly, carefully, held their shards out and tried to fit the pieces together like a 3-D jigsaw. With a little maneuvering, finally the pieces fit perfectly like four parts of a clean whole, and there was a bright flash.

 

Dexter, Slim, Mike, and Lizzie all woke at once to find themselves lying on their backs on smooth, cool, desert ground. It was dark.

When they all sat up to face each other only Dexter didn’t seem puzzled. “The meeting place,” he said, more to himself than to the others, as they started to murmur. The stars shone above their heads. They each stood up.

The moment of confusion passed, and then, out of nowhere, the clean-shaven man in the burgundy tuxedo appeared again.

“Mr. Handley,” Lizzie said in surprise.

“I have indeed returned for you, my chosen ones,” he said in a satisfied tone, “as I knew I would.” He surveyed them. “You look quite well! For what you’ve been through, anyhow. I do apologize for the electrocutions, but there shouldn’t be any adverse or chronic side effects. Crude technology.”

There was a general shockwave at what he said, but then Mike recovered. “We’re finished – aren’t we?” He asked. “We got the stone.”

Mr. Handley laughed, a surprisingly pleasant sound. “Finished? My dears, you are never finished.” He glanced down at his feet for a moment before continuing, “Greatness is infinite.” He looked at them again. “Now, tell me…what have you learned from this?”

Lizzie’s lips twitched. Mike couldn’t think of anything to say. Slim just fiddled with his shirt nervously, and Dexter seemed to be deep in thought. But none of them said anything.

Mr. Handley chuckled quietly. “Come with me, my chosen ones,” he said to them. “Come with me.” He turned around, leading them a few feet away, where with a wave of his hand, a door slid open that was previously invisible. Slim rubbed his eyes. Suddenly he saw some kind of vehicle.

“What’s this?” He asked, clueless.

“Why this, Master Pickens, is a ship!”

“Where was it before?” Lizzie asked.

Mr. Handley gave her a look. “Why, right here!” He said as if her claim were preposterous, but it really had appeared out of nowhere before their very eyes. “Get in.” Slim was intimidated, but the others assured him it would be fine and they all got situated inside. The interior appeared to be nothing special.

Mr. Handley joined them and started it up. Slim looked around, confused. “What does it do?”

Mike and Lizzie suppressed laughter, and Mr. Handley scolded them for it. “Now, now,” he said, playing the part, “don’t laugh just because his society is a little behind.”

“Behind?” Slim said. “What do you mean be-” Slim let out a scream as they quickly and smoothly took off into the air.

“Whoa,” Mike said, bracing himself. “I guess we shouldn’t laugh. This is more intense than an airplane!”

“Airplane?” Lizzie asked.

“It’s a lot like this,” Mike explained. “On Earth. This is more like a space shuttle.”

Dexter sat next to Slim. “Master Pickens, Master Pickens, calm down, it’s only temporary!” Slim fidgeted with his hands, pulling on Dexter’s sleeve as the Jedi tried to still him. “Nothing’s going to happen to you!”

“It’s so…shaky…” He happened to glance out the window, to see nothing but stars, and recoiled, burying his face in Dexter’s shoulder. Dexter hesitantly rested a hand on Slim’s back, and the rogue went quiet.

The ride wasn’t long at all. Soon they came up on a planet which Mike was fascinated by. It had a greenish-brown color with a few oceans visible. Mr. Handley navigated them down to the surface until they drove along a dusty street.

“Here,” Mr. Handley said to them, “you can see the fruits of your labor.”

Dexter got Slim to look out the window again. Now that they moved infinitely slower, he wasn’t as scared.

Through their windows they each saw an incredible sight. Everywhere, children of several different species ran around happily in the streets, which were safe. People talked with friends, and there were cookouts and family gatherings. There was a smile on every face. 

“This is Krant,” Mr. Handley explained. “The planet which the moon of Hanoon orbits. Not long ago, it was enslaved by the Empire, controlled and watched over by their base, like lab rats, from the fortress hidden on Hanoon.”

“How is that possible?” Mike asked.

“The Vor’Na’Tu,” Mr. Handley said simply. “It is more powerful than you can imagine. With its channeled energy, it alone was able to keep the people of Krant enslaved through the Empire’s technology. And not just Krant. The entire Bothan solar system.”

They went off back into space again, Slim covering his eyes and still clinging to Dexter. They were headed for another planet, where they drove through the streets and once again saw general peace all around and a happy good will in the air.

The four of them all tried to take in what Mr. Handley was saying, but it was hard. Had they really freed all these people? Without even realizing it?

“So you’re saying that just because we recovered that artifact, that now, all these people are freed from slavery?” Lizzie asked, somewhat incredulously.

Mr. Handley only looked back at them, tenderly, almost as if they were his children. “Today you are great heroes. Tomorrow, what lies ahead that you cannot conquer?”

 

They landed back at the ‘meeting place’ planet where it was still nighttime and stepped from Mr. Handley’s ship.

“I just have one question,” Slim said after catching his breath from the ride. “Who in the world are you? And how do you know _everything?_ ”

Mr. Handley smiled and averted his eyes. “I am the one that is alone – as far as I know, and I know many, many things.” He looked to them, proud. “I am the one from whom all greatness comes, and will continue to come. Only now, greatness will come from you.”

“But what does that mean?” Lizzie asked.

“One day,” he said, inching back toward the ship, “one day you’ll know. You are young yet, and you have great lives ahead of you.”

“Wait!” Mike called as Mr. Handley disappeared into his ship and started it up again. “How do you know?”

“You are all great,” he called after them in farewell. “And now I know the world will not be denied your greatness.”

“Wait!” Lizzie called, but the ship had already lifted off the ground. 

“Is this it?” Slim asked. “Is this the end?”

“I suppose it is?” Dexter replied.

Suddenly Lizzie whimpered and hugged Mike around his torso. Mike, in mild surprise, hugged her back. “I’ll miss you, Mike,” she said, her words muffled.

But Mike still heard. “I’ll miss you too, Lizzie,” he said quietly. He looked down at her little black head, his green eyes soft. “And – surely – we’ll see each other again.”

She looked up, and Mike could tell she was trying her hardest to hold back tears. Dexter noticed as well. “Goodbye, then,” he said to all three of them. “Goodbye, Master Pickens. Stay out of trouble.”

“I’ll remember you said that,” he replied solemnly.

“Goodbye, guys,” Mike said. “Thanks so much for your help, Master Holland. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

“It’s what I do.”

Mr. Handley’s ship was nearly out of sight. Something made them all look up to the sky in its direction, and milliseconds later, it disappeared among the stars and then everything went black.

 

Dexter slowly came back to his senses, lying on his back on his cot in the Jedi Temple. He shook his head and looked out his small window. He was indeed back on Coruscant.

_But how was all that possible?_ The things he saw and did…the people he did them with…it wasn’t a dream.

And he knew it.

Somewhere, Allia Offee winked at him.

 

Slim Pickens also knew he hadn’t only been dreaming when he woke, the sun peeking out over the flat, brown horizon of southern California. He peeled his tired, dirty face from the floor of Vivador’s saloon. He smelled like stale beer and his clothes were a mess even by his standards. There were several other sleeping, motionless men’s bodies strewn about, and glass shards littered the floor.

Slim noticed then that there was a gash on his palm.

 

Mike Minor woke up, his first thought being how comfortable the bed was.

A moment later he jolted awake, the memories of everything that had happened flooding back. He shook his head.

“Mike?” Brandon asked, still half-asleep. “What’s up? Somethin’ wrong?”

Mike paused before answering quietly, “No…” He smiled, still shaking his head. Then, more to himself than to Brandon, “You’d never believe it.”

 

Much the same way as Mike woke up, Lizzie found herself curled up beside Andrecia, safe and sound, back in their own home on Emotica.

She looked to her partner. The mermaid was still sound asleep.

_So beautiful,_ Lizzie thought silently. She paused. _She’ll never understand._

Lizzie got up from the bed and went to her mirror without a sound. She noticed her eyes had a deepness, an experienced and knowing gleam, that she didn’t think had been there before.

She took a deep breath, looking back at herself again, this new Lizzie. She knew that she – and those three men – would never be the same.


End file.
